Lessons learned from largest civilian EHR system

In choosing and deploying an EHR system, continually remind yourself of what it is you're supposed to bring to your practice: connectivity and better coordination among care teams; improved quality and patient safety; efficiency and reduced care costs. As you make system choices, ask how these goals can be advanced -- or hampered -- through specific EHR capabilities. Kaiser Permanente implemented the largest civilian EHR system in the world, KP HealthConnect, incorporating a number of third-party applications. It connects 8.6 million Kaiser Permanente patients (the company calls them "members") to their healthcare teams, their personal health information, and the latest medical knowledge.

BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina, which has generated hundreds of millions of dollars in profits over the past five years, has boosted the pay of board members and top executives while sticking...